Pasta (with cauliflower) :) ...

Underneath all my meat eating greediness, I guess I prefer fresh veggies more. What else could possibly explain my urge to cook each time I look at fresh colourful vegetables. :)

So, when I see this wonderful creamy white cauliflower with green stems sitting pretty on the refrigerator shelf, I decided on trying some pasta :).

(Penne with cauliflower served with a quick tomato salad)

What you would need:
For the Pasta:
Pasta (tubular - I used Penne) - 2 cups
Cauliflower - 1 Medium
Black Olives - 6 to 7 no's
Green Olives - 5 to 6 no's
Chili Flakes
Garlic cloves - 4 to 5 no's
Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Coriander 1tsp
Mozzarella cheese (grated) - 1 tsp
Water

For the fresh tomato salad:
Ripe tomatoes (I used plum and globe tomatoes) - 2 no's
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Prep:
Pasta :
Steam the cauliflower for a 5 minutes till lightly cooked, you should be careful not to over cook and make it mushy.
Drain the water and keep aside ( for flavour we will use the same stock for cooking the Penne).
Break the cauliflower into small florets and press with a fork to give it a 'tousled' look and keep aside.

Cook the Penne in stock water, drain excess water and keep aside. Drizzle the Penne with olive oil (to prevent them from sticking) and keep aside.

In a pan, heat olive oil add the finely chopped garlic and Chili flakes. Once lightly browned add the cauliflower and saute, add a little of the pasta stock and cook on medium flame till a creamy texture is attained. Add the cooked Penne, sliced olives, Coriander leaves , salt and pepper and give a quick stir. Let it cook on slow flame for about 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with grated cheese and serve hot with the tomato salad.

Prep:
Tomato Salad:
Chop large chunks of tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve with the pasta.
You can add a bit of citrus like a dash of lemon or even sections of sweet lime to make this more interesting. :)

Enjoy!!

Do try this and tell me how it turned out. If you have any suggestions for a variation that you have tried to write in.

For the next time, I am planning a spin where the cauliflower will be pureed into a sauce with other ingredients and will essentially be a replacement of sorts for the white sauce. Will keep you posted.